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New London-Spicer, Minn., School Board approves busing contract

NEW LONDON — The New London-Spicer School Board on Monday approved a two-year extension to the district’s busing contract with Palmer Bus Service and approved selling the student-built house to a district teacher.

The bus contract increases the total amount of compensation to the bus company from $599,850 for this school year to $600,495 for the 2013-14 school year and $600,481 for the 2014-15 school year. Those amounts are for the 15 regular routes that bring students to and from school each day. The contract also includes slight increases in the amount paid the bus company for transportation of special education students and for extracurricular activities and field trips.

The option for a two-year extension was included in the contract with Palmer Bus, which purchased Peterson Bus Company, the previous provider of busing services for the district, according to Superintendent Paul Carlson.

The board also approved a contract to sell the house built this school year by the ag structure class to Aric and Kelli Harrier. Aric Harrier teaches industrial technology at the high school.

This is the third time the district has signed a contract in advance, allowing the buyer to have input on the final details of the home, such as the cabinetry, countertops and paint colors, Carlson said.

The board also approved seniority lists for the teacher, paraprofessional and early childhood/family education groups, another step in the annual budget reduction process.

The next step, to be taken at the Feb. 28 meeting, is revising the current year’s budget before presenting a draft of the proposed budget reductions at the March 25 meeting.

The board was also informed by Board Chairman Robert Moller that the Little Crow Telemedia Network has received grant funds to fund the installation of VOIP (voice over internet protocol) communications in four member schools, including New London-Spicer.

The Little Crow Telemedia Network is seeking bids and will likely do the work on the VOIP project in the summer, Carlson said.

Gretchen Schlosser is the public safety reporter, and writes about agriculture occasionally, for the West Central Tribune. She's been with the Tribune since 2006 and has 17 years of experience working in news, media and communications.